The Nissan Figaro is almost never seen in the U.S., and why should it be? This cute-as-a-bug retro-styled convertible, offered only in 1991, was only sold in the Japanese market. That means they are all right-hand drive and outfitted in full Nipponese spec—with odd traits like radios that miss most of America’s FM band. When it comes to fun, however, the Figaro is hard to beat.
The retro theme continues to the 1950s interior.
Because it’s now more than 25 years old, it’s possible to import the Figaro and other such cars without making them compliant with federal emissions rules. eBay Motors is currently offering not one but two of them, in similar two-tone paint schemes. One is in Great Britain (where the right-hand drive is a plus) and the other Canada (where it isn’t).
The British Figaro is in Lapis Grey and has covered only 2,500 miles since importation into England (where there are now several thousand of them). There are only 25,000 total miles on the car, and vendor Figaro Parts Shop reports, “This is one of those super-rare cars that has the feel and look of something that’s been cherished.”
The Figaro looks particularly good in profile.
The car has been given an extensive going over in the vendor’s workshop, and the cambelt, water pump and seals, and spark plugs are all new. The oil and filter were changed, the brakes stripped and cleaned, and the suspension checked and road-tested.
The British car showing off its fold-down top.
The Canadian car has 94,000 miles on the odometer, but Right Drive, the seller, says it’s “still in great condition” and “road ready”—safety certified for Canada. If it needs parts, eBay has a decent supply of parts for the Figaro as well as the Micra, a similar model. The British eBay site has an even larger stock of Figaro parts.
A Product of Nissan’s Skunkworks Factory
The Figaro was introduced at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1989, with “Back to the Future” as its slogan. Nissan was into limited-edition retro at the time and also produced such contemporary oddities as the Be-1 (a three-door hatchback, 1987-1988), the Pao (another hatch, 1989-1991) and the S-Cargo (a commercial van, 1989-1991).
All of these cars were produced by the Pike Factory, a Nissan skunkworks. The Figaro, the most interesting of the lot, was built on the K10 Micra platform. The Micra never made it to the States, but it was sold in Canada, which might explain the Figaro’s popularity there. One eBay purchaser, David Costello, bought his Micra from Canada via eBay, and he says he loves it. “I like driving on the right-hand side,” he told Autoweek. “I like being able to look right on out there and see the edge of the road.”
The British car is in Lapis Grey, and has just 25,000 miles on the odometer.
The Figaro sits on tiny 12-inch wheels, and a one-liter fuel-injected (and turbocharged!) 76-horsepower four is under the hood. Since the car weighs less than 2,000 pounds, it could achieve fuel economy around 35 miles per gallon. That’s very good for 1991. Colors were Topaz Mist (not popular), Emerald Green, Lapis Grey, and Pale Aqua.
The Canadian car, showing off its shiny paint. It’s legal to import into the U.S., because of the 25-year rule.
Shoji Takahashi was the designer, and his nostalgic work won plaudits. The Figaro is no simple styling exercise—it looks like a real car of the 1950s. The Figaros came loaded—with leather seats, air conditioning, CD players, and that rollback roof. There weren’t many options. A limited-edition version added cup holders and baskets on the passenger side.
After the initial production run of 8,000 were built and quickly sold, popular demand led to another 12,000 Figaros. Prospective buyers of the second run had to enter a lottery to get one. The Figaro’s popularity has barely waned. They’re rarely seen—even in Japan—so having one here would be something special.
